Behind The Dish

Gary Leland took his first step in fastpitch softball when he decided to form a team his daughter could play on.

In 1997 Gary formed the team Da’Bomb in Arlington, Texas. Little did he know that forming that team would change his life forever.

By 2000 Da’ Bomb won their first Texas USSSA state Championship in the 14U age group. Da’Bomb repeated the feat by winning the 15U Texas State Championship in 2001. Da'Bomb ended the 2000 season with a 4th place in the USSSA National Championships.

That same year he formed the Arlington Girl's Fastpitch League with 5 teams. His goal was to give more girls the opportunity to play fastpitch.

In 2000 Gary created the website SoftballJunk.com. It was the first site on the Internet to exclusively sell girl's fastpitch softball equipment. Until SoftballJunk.com, players either bought online from slowpitch websites or baseball websites.

The website was an overnight success. Due to demand for equipment, Gary opened a retail store for SoftballJunk in Arlington, Texas. Gary still runs and operate the store. SoftballJunk.com has grown into a network of 40 plus websites that cater to fastpitch softball.

In 2004 Gary was one of the first 100 Podcasters on the planet, creating the Fastpitch Radio Show which was the first podcast devoted to fastpitch softball.

2005 marked a new role in coaching for Gary when he volunteered as the head coach for Academy High School in Texas. This was the first year for softball at the school, and Gary stepped up to help.

In 2006 Gary moved forward to the new technology of Video Podcasting where he created the popular Fastpitch TV Show which has been viewed over 5 million times.

In 2012 Gary started publishing the Fastpitch Magazine. It was the first softball magazine made exclusively for the iPhone and iPad.

Gary has been a regular on the field, and in the press box of the WCWS for the last 6 years conducting interviews and shooting photography. His staff has been proudly producing more content from the event than anyone, except ESPN.

In 2014 Gary became an Associate with USSSA when he became the Texas State Director. The next year he became the USSSA National Director of Social Media.

Gary just published his 12th e-book, and his 5th paperback about the sport of fastpitch. Primarily the books focus on skills and information for players and coaches.

In 2016 Gary was inducted into the Academy Of Podcasters Hall Of Fame because of his early successful endeavors in podcasting.

In 2017 the Mayor of Arlington,Texas proclaimed March 1st as "Gary Leland Day" for his contribution to social media.

Chris Carter goes from a 17th round 506th overall pick to a 10 year career in professional baseball. We talk about the importance of work ethic, college recruiting, playing in Japan and much more. Chris is a great example of chasing a dream and working hard to achieve your goals!

John Piper sits down with one of the best prospects to ever play the game Domingo Ayala. Who will sign him? World Series guarantee and much more. No one plays with more confidence than Domingo!

Look for Domingo Beisbol on Twitter @DomingoBeisbol, Instagram @therealdomingo, and Facebook @Domingo Ayala

Domingo is offering all our podcast listeners an additional 15% off at his company store https://www.domingobeisbol.com/ just use "BTD2018" at checkout

Thanks to our sponsor D-BAT Sports: dbatsports.com

We get a mother’s perspective on taking a kid from T-ball through Little League and then developing into a star player at Vanderbilt University through the adversity of Tommy John surgery and now in the starting rotation with the LA Dodgers. As a baseball parent you don't want to miss this one.

Great perspective on the game from Texas HS Baseball Coach Barry Rose. He has led Frisco Wakeland for the last 9 years and in the middle of another playoff run. We talk coaching philosophy and also something near and dear to the Rose Family raising awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation http://www.jdrf.org/ Smacking It For Mac

Check out information from our sponsors:

http://dbat.net/

Talking softball with the founder of Texas Glory Softball, Kevin Shelton. With over 70 teams and 18 years growing the game of softball Kevin provides great insight to parents and players that want to play at the highest level. 66 college commitments in the class of 2018

You can connect with Texas Glory here http://www.texasgloryfastpitch.com/contact.aspx

Sponsor Links: www.dbat.net www.dbatsports.com www.armyof9.com

I get a chance to talk with David Fisher from Chengdu China. The journey of a kid from Pennsylvania that fell in love with the game as a kid then took 33 years off before chasing the dream of teaching and coaching. David is an instructor at D-BAT Chengdu, the 4th largest city in China with 15 Million residents. A great message for those in and out of baseball on waking up and doing what you love every day.

Sponsor Links: http://dbat.net/

Behind the dish is sponsored by D-BAT, Since 1998 the nation’s largest indoor training academy for baseball and softball with almost 50 locations nationwide.

if you’re looking to improve your game and get to the next level D-BAT provides a quality teaching environment with solid instruction to enhance the baseball experience for players at all levels from Little League to the Pros

check out dbat.net for baseball and softball products, franchise information and to find a location near you!

I sit down and have a candid talk with Rusty Greer in his Colleyville home. Great story of small town Alabama kid making it in the big leagues. We talk about going from 10th round pick to the Texas Rangers Hall Of Fame, coaching youth baseball, being a Coach / Dad, the defensive side of the game, and we relive Rusty's role in helping secure history during Kenny Rogers perfect game in 94.

Check out rustygreerbaseballschool.com

Visit our sponsors -

www.dbat.net

www.armyof9.com

Questions, ideas, or to be considered as a guest on the show you can reach John Piper at (972) 398-1000 [email protected]

I sit down with Jeremy "Sheets" Sheetinger @coachsheets3 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) College Division liaison and discuss the game from breaking through as a college player to coaching and now developing coaches all across the country. Sheets host his own Podcast "Calls From The Clubhouse" and we have fun talking about our home state of Kentucky. Listen closely and you might here my first guest sing live on the air. ABCA Convention comes to Grapevine, TX January 3-6 www.abca.org to register


Thanks to our sponsors:

D-BAT Since 1998 the nation’s largest indoor training academy for baseball and softball with almost 50 locations nationwide.

if you’re looking to improve your game and get to the next level D-BAT provides a quality teaching environment with solid instruction to enhance the baseball experience for players at all levels from Little League to the Pros

check out www.dbat.net for baseball and softball products, franchise information and to find a location near you!

What a great episode talking with HC Matt Deggs. His story was chonicled after the 2017 Super Regional run and postgame interview after getting knocked out. Over 40 Million have watched his passionate from the heart postgame interview and talk on YouTube. His story transcends well beyond baseball. From a rising start in the coaching business to being out of the game for 430 days this is a must listen story of strength, hope, and faith

1. How to become a transformational coach vs transactional
2. The pack mentality
3. Being humbled
4. OKG = Our Kind of Guy recruiting mentality

You can follow Coach Deggs on Twitter @CoachDeggs28 and on coachdeggs.com

Thanks to our sponsors:

D-BAT Sports

The premiere indoor baseball and softball academy with approximately 50 locations nationwide. You can find more here at www.dbatsports.com use coupon code "April2018" at checkout to receive $20 off any purchase of $100 or more online only

Army Of Nine

Premier line of baseball gear - www.armyof9.com